Ian Rice, left, and Kyle Jensen, co-founders of True North Absurdities, work on a new owl sculpture in Jensen's garage in Bragg Creek on April 16. Jensen and Rice are self-taught welders and metal workers who built their first piece, Notorious B.A.D. – a fire-breathing dragon – for Burning Man in 2018.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail
Kyle Jensen and Ian Rice are two self-taught metal artists behind the company True North Absurdities. The pair made their first sculpture out of a garage in Calgary’s Cedarbrae neighbourhood – a fire-breathing dragon they called Notorious B.A.D. for Burning Man in 2018.
Since then, they have been hired for events such as the Chinook Blast winter festival in Calgary, where they brought Notorious B.A.D. and a bear that looks like it’s made of stained glass, with a metal frame and acrylic panels illuminated with multiple LED strip lights.
During the first day of Chinook Blast, Rice said, “the air was so cold the nozzle was stuck open, so as soon as you turned on the gas it would just start shooting flames.” They had to sit by the gas valve for the first night, opening it every time a kid would push the button on the dragon’s tail.
Now they’re working on a large owl sculpture that will have acrylic panelling similar to their bear’s, though this time they’re planning to weld the seams closed so light doesn’t shine through the frame.
Their next event is Freezer Burn, Alberta’s very own Burning Man celebration, to be held in Ponoka, north of Red Deer, from June 22 to 26.
True North Absurdities' first creation, Notorious B.A.D., at Chinook Blast in Calgary on Feb. 4.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail
Ian Rice grinds down welds on their newest metal sculpture, a large owl that they will add acrylic panels into, in Bragg Creek on April 16.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail
A cardboard model of one of True North Absurdities' past creations sits on a worktable in Bragg Creek on April 16. Jensen and co-creator Ian Rice use cardboard to construct small-scale models of their future sculptures. This helps them figure out the dimensions, the pieces they will need, and if it will all lay well together or if adjustments need to be made.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail
Ian Rice holds the large multi-LED pole Kyle Jensen created to put inside their bear sculpture, allowing light to come through the acrylic paneling, in Bragg Creek on April 16.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail
The bear sculpture ended up being a little too tall for transport, so Jensen and Rice had to chop off the top of its head and one of its paws to make it easy to assemble it on location.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail
Ian Rice stands beside their unassembled bear sculpture on April 16.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail
This sculpture was given a stained glass effect by creating the metal framework, filling the gaps with acrylic and hanging a pole with multiple LED strip lights attached inside, something Kyle Jensen created from scratch.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail